WHERE HAVE YOU GONE, DOM DIMAGGIO?

I guess I pilfered those lyrics from Simon and Garfunkel, but I don’t think they’ll mind. Dominic DiMaggio, an all-time great Red Sox centerfielder has passed away. The 92 year old brother of the late Yankee Clipper, Joe, was a one-time guest on PawSox Insider. He shared some great stories and at age 90, was as sharp as a tack. He remembered buying silver candlesticks for his brother when he married Marilyn Monroe. He also recalled keeping track of Joe’s 56 game hitting streak through hand signals relayed from inside the Green Monster at Fenway, through Ted Williams. Rest in Peace, Little Professor.

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Huntington Park, the new home of the Columbus Clippers is magnificent. Nestled in downtown Columbus, in the “arena district”, it lies in the shadow of the Nationwide Arena, home of the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets. We are afforded the opportunity to broadcast from behind home plate, “al fresco”. (I had to ask Dan to make sure “al fresco” meant “outside”, not “naked). Great sight lines, very good atmosphere, a really beautiful new ballpark. We sit under an overhang amongst the fans. So far, a great experience.

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They expect a sellout here on Sunday. Daisuke Matsuzaka is scheduled to pitch against the Clippers and there is a large contingent of Japanese fans coming. It seems that when word of Dice’s appearance got out, the local Honda plant in Marysville bought an entire section of seats. The Japanese automakers apparently aren’t feeling the same “pinch” as GM and some of the others.

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Jonathan Van Every is back with the PawSox after his stint in Boston. JV will be activated and probably be in the lineup on Saturday. I very rarely, if ever, dream or remember them. However, I did dream that I was sitting at Fenway with the actor Sam Waterston, who plays District Attorney McCoy on “Law and Order”. When Van Every homered in my dream, I jumped up and down like a little schoolgirl, screaming “I know him, I know him!!!!” Dan thinks I have deep psychological issues…he may be correct.

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Happy to hear that Detroit will promote Dontrelle Willis back to the big leagues. He is slated to pitch for the Tigers Wednesday against Minnesota. The former N.L. rookie of the year was terrific in his start earlier this week for Toledo, at McCoy Stadium. He has battled anxiety. Hopefully he’s got it under control.